Peak preserved

Hikers on the summit
of 13,462-foot Treasury Mountain, near Crested Butte, Colo., may
not have known it, but until recently they were standing on private
property. That changed Aug. 21 when the Wilderness Land Trust
purchased 200 acres of private land inside the Raggeds and Maroon
Bells-Snowmass wilderness areas. Much of the land, including
Treasury's summit, was owned by Standard Metals Corp., which had
patented its mining claims. Mark Pearson, president of the trust,
said the group's biggest concern was the development of summer
homes and permanent camps for outfitters, not mining. The trust
used $115,000 in private donations and loans to buy the land, which
it intends to sell to the Forest Service and then repay the loans.
The Wilderness Land Trust can be reached at 1101 Village Rd., Suite
2A, Carbondale, CO 81623
(970/963-9688).